Saturday, February 10, 2018

Weekend Briefing by Jes Drew

Weekend Briefing

Jes Drew

Welcome back, agents. I have summoned you all here today so
that you may get up to date on a very important subject that affects agents of
all ranks and clearances. That is, Robinson
Crusoe. To help us today is our literary expert, Agent Deanna-

Agent Deanna: Actually, it’s Agent-

Me: Your official title is still Agent Deanna. Not all these
agents have the clearance to know your married name yet. Anyway, I see you’ve
brought one of our junior agents.

Agent Deanna: And onto the report. As some of you may know,
Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe directly
inspired Castaways when Mission Head
came across it during training. Literature and poetry, as many of you have been
trained to know, is essential in networking vital information. All agency
handlers are trained in our special Eng Code-

Junior Agent Chase: Codes are really cool. When I was
younger, I wrote an entire code so Mary-Ann couldn’t read what I put on the
shopping list. Of course, neither could Mom-

Me: Ahem. Agent
Donna.

Junior Agent Chase: Who’s that?

Agent Deanna: In the Eng code, we take into consideration
the author’s themes and characters. The theme of Robinson Crusoe- the essential
relationship, in fact- is the relationship between man and his Maker, between
Robinson Crusoe and God. Not unlike the theme of Jane Eyre, where we look at the place of religion in common life-
in other words, man’s relationship with God. Robinson Crusoe, though, takes it at its converse and we see how
God seems to be pursuing Robinson Crusoe, putting him in situations that lead
him to God and salvation. It is indeed one of the most compelling nonfictional
salvation stories. Not dissimilar to my husband’s own salvation-

Me: Ahem.

Junior Agent Chase: You sure do that a lot. Do you have
something in your throat?

Agent Deanna: On to the characters, or in this case, just
the protagonist. According to our special screening tests, Robinson Crusoe is a
debater personality type; the kind of guy we would have out in the fields,
doing spur-of-the-moment strategies as he wins allies and survives all odds.
Indeed, his survivor complex reacts with his fun-loving nature in surprising
ways. He goes out into danger, and the moment disaster falls, calls out to God.
But when the disaster is over, he keeps on doing what got him into the mess to
begin with.

Junior Agent Chase: That’s stupid.

Agent Deanna: Unfortunately, this is a trait shared by many
; humans have a very short memory span.

Me: And you are the expert on our manias and complexes.

Agent Deanna (glaring): I believe that such comments fall
into the classified status.

Me: Of course. My apologies. Please continue.

Agent Deanna (grabbing Chase’ hand and preparing to leave):
That’s about it. Only that what interactions we see of him with people shows
that he was very much an independent soul, even if he was extraverted. He made
his own decisions, no matter what his elders told him- sought independence and
later freedom at great risks to his own health. Yet he inspired others of his
elders to protect and provide for him at no cost to himself. He made enemies of
whom he never sought forgiveness or to forgive- they were just enemies to be
delivered from, similar to King David of the Bible. As for those who, in his
time, were considered ‘savages’ he was very patronizing to. Yet, in his own way
he enjoyed friendship with them- perhaps as much friendship as an isolated soul
like himself could know, and inspired great loyalty, at least in Friday. For
more information on Robinson Crusoe, you’ll have to read it yourself-

Junior Agent Chase: It’s my favorite!

Agent Deanna: And to note subtle parallels between it and
Castaways, you’ll have to read them both- a good introduction into the Eng
code, for you beginners.

About:

Emily Rogers thought
nothing could be worse than her family moving across the ocean. When the
unthinkable happens and the ship goes down, she learns just how wrong she is.
Now she’s stranded on a deserted island with her two young cousins and
Christopher Williams, the boy who refused to leave until all the women and
children were safe.

But the island hides
many secrets and holds many dangers. And as they fight to survive and hold onto
hope, one unsettling question rises above the others. Is the island really
deserted?

Coming February 14, 2018 to all major
online booksellers.

Join us next week, agents for a special briefing on the
fourteenth to celebrate Castaways and
Valentine’s Day with Drewniverse couple trivia and details on an upcoming
giveaway. Until then, avoid doing anything that might get you brain-wiped. Ciao!